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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350761">The Hat and The Flames</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynyard/pseuds/wynyard'>wynyard</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Assassin's Creed - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Inner conflicts, M/M, Missing Scene, POV Alternating, Parent/Child Incest, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:41:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,528</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynyard/pseuds/wynyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(No established relationship)</p><p>Missing scene from the quest: "The Foam and The Flames" in Assassin's Creed 3.<br/>Starts just before Connor pushes Haytham and himself through the wooden door. After they fell into the water, Haytham was missing his hat but he was wearing it in the next quest, "The Bitter End"<br/>So I imagined Connor was the one who brought it back to him before leaving.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haytham Kenway/Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Hat and The Flames</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>POV changes after every stanza except for the 4th one ♥</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>— I promise, I will do all I can</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because you see my past and think that I’m a vain man. —</em>
</p><p>    Haytham takes the initiative again. He turns his back to Connor, towards the wooden door and sees it has been blocked by a long plank. Even though he knows better than to give it all his strength because he is sure of the outcome, he still grabs and tugs it up. Yeah, it doesn’t move an inch. He sighs, “Stuck,” Without thinking too much, he gives the order to his son, “see if you can find something to pry it open” and nudges the thing again, just to keep busy. No exasperated sighs or objection comes from behind. It’s unusual for his son to be silent about an order he gave so he calls out, “Connor?” and glances back. He sees the said boy turning towards him some length away and readying to… to... “What are you up to?” he asks but knows, just knows inside that Connor is about to do something foolish, something he would never do. He sees Connor charging up… “Oh.” What a prodigy. “No,” he says sternly, but it sounds desperate when he says it while knowing that it wouldn’t work on this savage boy yet the authority in him needs to speak and demand at all times. “Don’t do that,” he raises his voice and tries to reason by explaining why this would be such a horrific idea but Connor is already running towards him. “There’s no way of knowINGWHATSONTHEOTHERSI-“ he blurts it out all at once but the sudden impact knocks the air right out of his lungs. The weight of his son’s body on his is incredibly heavy, Connor is grappling him, and his whole body is going to crash to the wooden door and he’s going to be a mashed potato between a wall and a stubborn horse, but did Connor just turn them sideways? <em>To take half of the impact on himself?</em></p><p>His right shoulder crashes HARD onto the door. He hears a painful “oof” from right beside his cheek as Connor forcefully breathes out with the impact. Everything around them breaks with a loud noise, they are open in the air now, Connor has let him go and flown somewhere, Haytham is falling, and he is still screaming; his blank mind is set on completing the last word he has spoken.</p><p>"-IIIIIDE-"</p><p>His voice drowns when he makes contact with water; he’s engulfed all around now. It’s cold where water touches his skin but his right shoulder and ribs are pulsating hotly. His uniform doesn’t make the situation any easier because it’s sticking to him and is suddenly too heavy. The screaming on the way down made him breathless so he must reach the surface as fast as he can. Before he does this though, his eyes open involuntarily, they search for his son and he will be thinking about the reason of this along with many other things that has happened today in somewhere safer and, well, drier. It’s hard to see anything underwater in this darkness but he manages to make out a moving set of body mass. Something in him he wants to deny relaxes, so he moves all his limbs with all his strength and swims upwards.</p><p>When he reaches the surface, he breathes in as much air as he can. His body aches all over and feels heavy, and everything that happened dawns on him all of a sudden. He can’t believe he was put in such a position, by a disobedient, savage son no less. His sword will get rusty, his shoes feel like a ton of bricks, he is lucky if his pistol is still strapped to its holster… But overall he is mad at his son. Connor went ahead to decide for himself, string him along and put this ridiculous plan into action without even telling him beforehand. He feels disrespected and shaken. While he’s trying not to drown by his body-weight, he sees Connor get out of the water in his peripheral, all wet like a little puppy. And what does his son say first?</p><p>“We do, now.”</p><p>Incredulous. Insufferable. Atrocious.</p><p>He looks at Connor but it feels more as if he is directing his inner chaos onto him. Connor meets his eyes at first and Haytham sees the hint of smugness there, but it quickly dissipates into fear as Connor turns his head to avoid more of his gaze, like the little coy boy he is so <em>not</em>. Haytham continues to stare at him until he decides he can’t stab him with his eyes so he turns away to swim towards the dockside. His hair is messy now and sticks to his face and his- oh his hat, where is his hat? Oh to hell with it, burn it all.</p><p>
  <em>—The ocean waves all around mei</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They say I should anchor for the life to be. —<br/>
</em>
</p><p>Connor glances at his father. After making sure Haytham isn’t looking back at him with those furious eyes, a small smile appears on his face. He has outwitted his father yet again. It gives him incredible amounts of pleasure to take his father by surprise, to make him put words into that smug mouth of his. The way he acts around him, all authoritarian and pompous, he can’t help but want to punch him into place. However, which place, he isn’t sure. His father is indeed a boss, a respected leader and a very-well educated strategist yet in Connor’s mind, none of these qualities justify the way he acts around him. He feels like his father is taking a step too far when he’s with him. Almost feels like… he’s trying too hard. And he acts very careless around Connor as well, how many times has he saved his father’s life by now? Twice? Thrice? How can someone like him act so recklessly yet survive this far?</p><p>None of the answers to these questions will change anything, though. He has made up his mind about where and how far he stands from the grandmaster. His father is a prick and nothing can change his mind. Yet, this is the first time Connor has seen his father without that telltale hat and this makes him feel weird inside. He looks like a different person. Revealed, maybe? Does that hat give Haytham the same feeling of anonymity and self-confidence his own hoodie gives him? He wonders whether there is at least one common thing they share, and, could this be that thing? </p><p>How pathetic if so, he frowns.</p><p>
  <em>— With your heart and soul</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Can you seal..</em>
</p><p>
  <em>..the door that I shut behind me? —<br/>
</em>
</p><p>They both climb up the dockside at the same time. Haytham shakes his arms to dry up the wetness that is going to sooner or later make him sick. The whole uniform feels three times heavier than it originally was, he’s very uncomfortable, very angry and just wants to get this over with. He thinks back on the time they have lost and his already down spirit goes even lower. He decides against scolding Connor for his reckless behaviour because it will only add up to his nerves. “Church has at least a day on us. We must move quickly if we’re to catch him.” He looks up at Connor to check whether he is listening, then makes a move to walk away.</p><p>“I have a ship we can use.” Says his son.</p><p>
  <em>— Roads I’ve avoided all along</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They lead me now to reach whom I belong. —<br/>
</em>
</p><p>It’s been a long time since Haytham was reminded of his father. He doesn’t hold any grudges for him, he made peace with the past many years ago. He is no longer the instinctual little boy he once was, he would never pour out his emotions like he did to Adéwalé back then. Oh how he regrets that one.. He was naïve, wounded. Almost without a proper purpose, even if he made it seem the opposite. That was why he never thought of owning a ship. He wasn’t going to follow his father’s footsteps, which were never meant for him to follow anyway. He is his own man now, no longer the boy who clung to his deceiving father’s breeches and he revels in this fact. Despite this, he hates to admit that something never stopped aching in him, whenever he is reminded of his father. It’s an ache that makes his eyes drop momentarily, mind stray a bit with buried memories trying to flood in. But he manages to compose himself. Always does.</p><p>The ache is back now. So suddenly too, it’s almost unbelievable. His eyebrow rises to show the incredulity he is feeling, and his eyes search Connor's to confirm what he has said was indeed, real. He finds only confidence and resolution there.</p><p>“Meet me at the pier when you’re ready.”</p><p>Haytham has no words. Nothing comes out. He watches as his son turns his back with a smug smile on his lips, and a strut to him like he's never seen before, then leaves him with the burden of tens of years.</p><p>
  <em>— I promise I will change my way of life;</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For you I will pay my dues tonight. —<br/>
</em>
</p><p>Connor has decided to go to his ship to change his clothes, but he hesitated. Instead, he faked turning a corner, then climbed up the building to reach the roof, found a railing to hide behind and looked below to his father. This is where he is now, watching his father. Haytham still hasn’t moved and it’s been.. ten minutes at the very least. Connor doesn’t know what to make of this. Haytham seemed troubled and that was a first. Was he so because Connor won all the silly races they silently created themselves, little challenges to see who was better than the other? Has Haytham finally accepted the fact that Connor was not as stupid as he had initially thought him to be? Has Connor finally made up to his father’s expectations? Was this.. was this pride he saw in Haytham? </p><p>His heart skips a beat and he clutches his chest. What is he even thinking; it’s impossible for Haytham to feel pride for him and he would never crave such a ridiculous thing from a self-centered tyrant. He shoos the thought away and focuses back on the figure below. He sees Haytham looking towards where they had fallen into the water, searching for something. His hat, it must be. Connor scans around the area too but it is hard to see from afar like this. It seems like his father has given up, as he loudly sighs, turns back and walks away with slouched shoulders.</p><p>Connor shouldn’t do this.</p><p>There is no need to do this.</p><p>Why would he even want to do this?</p><p>Awhile later, he finds himself back in the freezing water. He curses his decision-making train of thought, curses the spirits for approving the said train of thought and swims around the debris with shaking lips, clattering teeth. He finally sees the infamous piece of clothing next to the building’s base, curses it while swimming towards it. His whole body feels numb now, and the hand he extends to grab the hat is a darker shade; it’s visible even in the darkness. This was a terrible, terrible mistake. He holds onto the hat and swims back to the dockside, this time slower because he can no longer feel his arms or legs.</p><p>
  <em>— With all your might</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Can you break..</em>
</p><p>
  <em>..the door that I shut behind me? —<br/>
</em>
</p><p>Haytham has gone to the fort to change his clothes, he has a slight fever but he will live. He had decided against searching for a suitable hat because of the haze in his mind so he put on the first one he came across; an old grey one, which doesn’t suit his dark blue coat or the engravings on his cape. He doesn’t feel like his uniform is complete without his hat. He wishes he had looked harder for it back in the dockside but he must make do with whatever he has now. </p><p>After circling a little around, he grows impatient and mumbles insensitive remarks about his son who always makes him wait, all while scanning through the crowd in the bazaar in front of the pier. A sudden urge comes to look at his right, so he does and there he is, his son walking ever slowly towards him with his hoodie on, uniform put on haphazardly and… his hat in his hand? What?</p><p>He probably looks like a fish now, open mouthed and dumb as Connor finally halts a few feet away and extends his hat to him, wordlessly. He doesn’t even look at his father, just standing there with his head tilted down, ever-present frown on his face. His nose is red, his cheeks are matching and there are dark circles under his eyes. He looks undeniably sick. Has this stupid kid dove back into the water to fish out his hat? Why would he even do that?</p><p>“Did you take this from where w-“ Haytham starts but is cut off by Connor almost immediately.</p><p>“Just take it, father. I don’t recognize you without it.” He finally looks up to meet his eyes. They’re watery, obviously a side-effect of his flu, and Haytham has never seen Connor this vulnerable before. Not even after he accused him of the murder of Ziio in that warehouse. He must be struggling within himself.</p><p>Haytham is out of words, so he takes the hat without uttering anything. He takes off the old one and simply throws it into the trash pile next to them. He instinctively fixes his hair and hair-tie, puts on the hat then looks up at Connor. He doesn’t know what kind of emotion is showing in his eyes now, but judging the way Connor’s mouth shuts and forms a thin line, he must be showing a lot. He lets out a sigh that feels like he’s been holding since the beginning of time. Connor is looking away now, towards the boat and from his side view, the exhaustion is even more visible. Haytham wants to reach out and-</p><p>“Shall we be off then.” He suddenly turns and gestures towards the sea, before this goes to places he cannot explore yet. Before his arm reaches out to places he would regret. Connor seems visibly relaxed at the change of topic, and hurries towards the swaying boat.</p><p>Haytham stands a moment too long, watching Connor walk away as he absentmindedly plays with his wrist pin. The path their relationship has taken is one he didn’t foresee. A Templar and an assassin working together is already a recipe for disaster yet… he has his hat now, and feels complete. He gathers himself up, straightens his already straight coat and with his chin up, starts following Connor.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>— I could’ve done better</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, I know..</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I could’ve done better</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lord knows I have tried..</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I could’ve done so much better. —<br/>
</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Poem inspired by the song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YJ8wkETTB8">Alien- Could've Done Better</a></p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading, please feel free to share your thoughts and any kind of criticism you may have. if you want to beta this one, I would appreciate it so much; I'm aware it needs to be done. English isn't my native language so I'd love to improve.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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